And though I wasn’t planning on doing this, I actually want you to see what one example email from the course looks like, so I copied it below for you.
It’s about trusting yourself and trusting the process. Because that’s ultimately what your journey into
health, fitness and weight loss is.And so, without further ado, here is your sample TTE educational email (week #17 of the course), enjoy!
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Today I want to talk about trust.
I spent many years trusting other people, “experts,” diet books, coaches who were “well-known” and fitness magazines that touted the same clichéd advice month after month. All of this left me feeling not only super overwhelmed with
information, but actually paralyzed.
I looked out there and said, “Oh, that person has a six-pack, they must have the answer,” or “this magazine is obviously a trusted source, they must know best!” or “look at how many people are getting results with Atkins! I will definitely work for me!”
And you know what, it did for a time. I would harness my willpower, get together my plan, cook the food, have the schedule, count, weight, measure and get some
fast results. But then something would happen, around week 2 or 3. My results slowed down, some of my old habits and cheats crept in and by week 4, I was completely “off plan” feeling defeated, weak and totally discouraged. Every day I vowed to “start fresh” and “not do what I did last night!” and then it became a week cycle.
Trusting other resources with what was best for my body was a mistake.
But of course I could never have
known that. It’s easier to look elsewhere. It feels good to put your results in the hands of someone who seemingly knows more than you. It felt almost like a relief: “Finally! Someone who can take this burden from me! Someone who can take care of me!” And it worked for a little bit, until it didn’t anymore.
Because how could an expert or a book or a coach ever know my body better than me?
This was a really tough realization because it meant I was
out of people to hand over the reigns to. Shirking “the rules” and working to learn what works for me was a scary thing. Because it meant having to look inward and get to know myself – my metabolism, my tendencies, my sensitivities, my preferences and it required I take on some self-imposed guidelines.
Over 3 years I went from someone who followed the “rules” given to me by someone else (and constantly breaking those rules because inevitably I couldn’t stay on plan
because … wait for it … it wasn’t the right “plan” for me!) to someone who created my own guidelines and fit the plan to me.
This transition takes trust.
It takes courage to assume ownership of your own process and put in the hard work to figure it out.
We learn from messing up, so I can never regret my experiences. In fact, I am grateful for them because without them, I would never have turned my focus inward. I
am sure you have similar experiences with coaches, and experts and diet books.
Trusting yourself comes down to assuming the responsibility of your own results and outcomes.
No one can do any of this for you. And that’s a sobering concept on one hand, and scary. But I think over time, you will come to see it like I do now – completely liberating.
Think about it. You never have to read another diet book
again, or hire a coach, or get a “new meal plan” or “start on Monday.” You know why? Because you have you.
Trusting yourself is knowing yourself. And you get to know yourself by a) practicing mindfulness, and b) watching how you respond to certain foods, situations, circumstances, stresses, patterns, events, etc.
The ultimate in trusting yourself is knowing that regardless of where you are, you know you can and will make the best choice available
to you in that place. I end up at McDonalds? Fine, I can handle it. I’ll get a grilled chicken sandwich, extra lettuce and tomato and take off the bun, or I’ll get a salad with chicken. At a gas station? No problem, I’ll grab some jerky, nuts and a Vitamin Water Zero. Someone’s house for dinner? I’ll load up on whatever proteins are available (even if they are of the fattier variety) and whatever veggies I can get my hands on. A glass of red, and I’m fine. NBD.
I don’t
let perfect be the enemy of good, and I never feel deprived, so I don’t ever feel the need to overindulge. Things like fries at McDonalds or candy as a gas station or dessert at a friend’s house don’t even enter my mind. Sure, I might have a single bite if someone else gets some, but those things aren’t options for me. Not because I have to harness every ounce of willpower of abstain, but because I walk around feeling satisfied all day every day. I preempt my hunger and cravings with things that
I know take the edge off, I practice moderate choices. And I do that over, and over, and over, and over again until it’s a 365-day operating system.
How do you begin to trust yourself?
You stop trying to control your environment every second. Because you have to leave your house at some point. Life happens whether you want it to or not. Circumstances change, stress comes in, people invite you places, there will never be a time where you can
always control every single bit of food that is placed in front of you, so why not start learning how to deal with those scenarios right now?
Don’t wait until you’re at someone’s house for dinner after eating out of Tupperwares straight for 6 months to practice mindfulness and moderation. Start now. Put yourself in those challenging circumstances now.
The more you expose yourself to places and spaces and people who are uncontrollable, the more
opportunities you give yourself to practice mindfulness and moderation. And as those instances accrue, over time, you see that, wow, you can do it! You’re doing it! You did it!
And all those small wins lead to a big ol’ prize: self-trust!
Next week, I want to talk about trust again, but about how to trust this process.
Until then! Have a great
week!
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Enrollment for next year’s Total Training Experience closes tonight at midnight. Not opening it again until August 2016.
I’m super excited to get started with all the ladies who are already on board,
going to be an amazing year!
Let me know if you have any questions!
Xo,
Jill
